- Last OnlineSep 15, 8:37 PM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayJul 17, 1993
- LocationChicago Heights
- JoinedNov 15, 2013
Also Available at
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Sep 15, 2026
The Ghost in the Shell is this franchise’s first attempt at directly and fully adapting the original manga, and it does so to spectacular success. Intricate sci-fi concepts and semi-wacky police adventures blend together into a captivating and exceptionally well-paced episodic story that slowly builds upon itself until its chaotic and heady finale, filled to the brim along the way with impacting imagery and engrossing action set pieces. Surprisingly, the decision to be as faithful to the manga as possible and refuse to update its technological aesthetic, despite the 40 years of scientific advancement in the interim, doesn’t make it feel dated or illogical, perhaps
...
because GitS’s aesthetic is so iconic and this new entry’s art direction is so impeccable, especially in its deeply rich color design.
Admittedly, the slightly cartoony moments of comedy and thicker linework do take a bit of getting used to, but nothing about these elements ever struck me as notably off-putting, as they give this entry its own unique feel to set itself apart from its predecessors. It’s also interesting to note that there aren’t really any “character arcs” per se for anyone in this series, and yet it doesn’t suffer in any way for this. The characters as they stand are engaging and fun enough for us to simply come along for the ride as they do whatever job is to be done, and their interactions with the intriguing sci-fi concepts that make up the backbone of this setting are where the core appeal of this series lies, as exhibited by the plethora of on-screen text explaining said concepts, yet another holdover from the original manga. It’s certainly not the GitS that most people are familiar with, but that does not detract from its excellence in any way, and it more than stands on its own as a thrilling action/sci-fi romp.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Sep 13, 2026
Peace Maker Kurogane is a watchable, yet ultimately disappointing take on the Shinsengumi narrative, mainly due to its severe lack of focus. Whether it’s the trauma Tetsunosuke suffered prior to the start of the series and his journey towards getting over it, the multitude of subplots with different Shinsengumi characters, the spies gathering information in the background, the geishas that entertain a plethora of side characters, or the ways in which they all relate and react to the opposition forces they come up against, it constantly feels like it’s pinballing between different ideas at the drop of a hat, never fully realizing any of the
...
topics that it sets up. This series feels simultaneously too long and drawn out as a result of not having a clean enough throughline, and too short because the point Tetsunosuke ultimately ends up at doesn’t feel weighty enough to be satisfying.
The tone also contributes to this sense of muddledness. The serious moments are serious for sure, but often in a manner that feels a bit tryhard and forced, thus lessening their impact; while the comedic moments are so excessive and grating that it becomes difficult to watch at times. I rarely take note of the music in an anime for negative reasons, but this show might have one of the worst soundtracks I’ve heard to date, with its garishly melodramatic guitar and synth lines often ruining moments that could have used a bit more subtlety. Though it is certainly not a bad production by any stretch, save for the last few episodes that seemed notably less put together than the rest, solid directing and well-paced actions scenes ultimately can’t make up for the directionless movement of the story and how little I felt for these characters at the end of it all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 30, 2026
Gintama Movie 3: Yoshiwara in Flames is the epitome of the notion that you can throw as much talent and effort at as many high frame count fights scenes as you want and it's still not a substitute for good directing and knowing when something is too flashy for its own good. I wouldn’t say that there’s anything here I would call outright bad, but for all the high-octane action cuts of combatants bouncing around the room DBZ-style, far less of it leaves a notable impact than I was hoping for. There is no restraint nor sense of a unified image, and as such several
...
sections of these fights reach the point of becoming blurred noise. I still enjoyed them, but in the way that I like to get high and stare into sequences of vibrating color, not as well-choreographed action set pieces that are interesting to follow.
In fairness, this film does still manage to nail the other core aspect of Gintama’s overall presentation, in that I was consistently busting a gut laughing. Whether it's new jokes like the additional 4th wall-breaking prologue or reattempts at some of the most iconic jokes of the franchise, it has been several months since I’ve laughed this hard at anything. The film also adds in an anime-original subplot involving the Shinsengumi, because I guess we needed Shinsengumi fan service cameos, but the details of this subplot feel completely disconnected from the larger Yoshiwara story. At its core, this is still very much Gintama, at least narratively speaking. The bones of it are still there and make this worth watching for those who have already enjoyed the original, but it’s also a Gintama that has forgotten how to put on its makeup and ends up slathering on way too much lipstick and mascara. Flashy and explosive for sure, but also severely lacking in the control that can keep everything looking cohesive, and thus is wholly inadequate as a substitute for the real thing.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 30, 2026
The Last Blossom is a pleasant and charming, yet ultimately overly simple film. Calling it a yakuza drama, while technically correct, would be inherently misleading, as the overall tone and feel is much more of a mildly dramatic slice of life film about a man reflecting upon a certain time in his life, the relationships he had, and the decisions he made in order to protect those dear to him. While the directing is exceptionally tight and the pacing solid enough to where I never got particularly bored, I do struggle to really dig deep and find much about this film that is exceptionally great.
...
The characters are realistic and easy to empathize with, but don’t really leave much of an impact. The yakuza sections are thrilling and are built up to well enough, but don’t last very long before the story moves on. The one mystery element of the film, a facet that one might expect coming from the Odd Taxi team, was something I figured out immediately and then had to wait another fifteen minutes for the film to get to the reveal. I will give credit to the soundtrack though; not very often you hear a flute quartet as part of the BGM for an anime, and the melodic, harmonic, and textural elements that make up this soundscape are often quite mesmerizing. Overall, it was pleasant and finished in under 90 minutes so no moments overstayed their welcome. I was content, often moved, but rarely completely hooked.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 30, 2026
False Memory Is a visually stunning and thematically gripping sci-fi/action romp that you are absolutely not going to fully understand the actual plot of at first glance. There is an immense excess of worldbuilding information to take in from the word go, lending to an opening that is equal parts intriguing and frustrating. In spite of this, the emotions that it seeks to elicit from the viewer are readily apparent once it dives into the more episodic section of its story, with feelings of regret, inadequacy, failure, and the general doldrums of a repetitive lifestyle oozing out of every sequence of imaginative imagery and spellbinding
...
editing. I’ve seen quite a few FLCL comparisons being made, and while that might appear as surface-level clickbait at first, there are certainly a few parallels that can be drawn in how each show’s respective protagonists navigate a seemingly overcomplicated plot in order to confront the reality of who they are.
Thematic heaviness aside, it’s also packed with a ton of incredibly fun action set pieces. The sheer creativity with how the fights are constructed, the different weapons and fighting styles being used, the insane scale and detail of destruction, and the exceptional control over the frame makes this a big ol’ piece of eye candy that I simply could not turn away from. This same creativity can be found across all aspects of its presentation, be it in the stunning colorwork or the wide range of abstract imagery that makes all of this one of the most impressive productions of the year. While I do think it could have shaved off a hair or two from the complexity of its plot and I wish it had ended in a more wholly positive manner, this is undeniably a project that shoots for the moon and leaves a spectacular crater in its wake, so long as you’re willing to put in the effort to understand what it’s getting at.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 29, 2026
Girls und Panzer: Motto Love Love Sakusen desu! is a solid showcase of hilarious comedic side stories to sate our GuP hunger in between movie installments. While Mizushima is focused on finishing up the action-heavy core of this franchise, Masami Shimoda has stepped in with his decades of industry experience to pump out an exceptionally well-paced and constant stream of short comedic vignettes that consistently got at least a couple laughs out of me with each new scenario. This shotgun approach also allows for a wider and deeper exploration of the massive ancillary cast that has populated this franchise over the past decade and a
...
half, with the half dozen or so different sensha-do teams getting plenty of screen time across their wide swathes of members, though there are still a few subjects that come out a bit repetitive.
It also looks just as solid as the main series, though with most of its efforts this time put into more comedic-centric moments. Whether it’s the wide variety of art styles and visual references scattered throughout each episode or the plethora of exaggerated and impacting cuts of humorous facial expressions and slapstick, this one turned out to be much more of a treat for the eyes than I was expecting. It’s also probably the most fan service-heavy entry of GuP so far. It’s not particularly incredible fan service, but it is at the very least serviceable in conveying how cute these designs are. If you’ve been craving more GuP to tide you over before the next movie comes out, this is more than sufficient to keep you satisfied.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 18, 2026
Futari wa Precure is a show that I respect tremendously for what has been produced in its wake, but not so much as an individual TV series in and of itself. That’s not to say it is without merit, even putting aside its usefulness as a piece of anime history. The camaraderie between Nagisa and Honoka and how their bond deepens over the course of the series forms a solid core for the episodic scenarios of the series at large to revolve around, and I also felt a certain fondness towards the first set of villains despite their mostly stock personalities. It also still has
...
some of the strongest art direction from a Precure series I’ve seen so far, with the designs for our lead heroines being incredibly cool and eye-grabbing, and the sense for interesting layouts and storyboarding in the action scenes tend to make up for a lot of the animation faults.
That said, this is a series that consistently reeks of something being tried out for the first time, overflowing with instances of overly-corny dialogue or annoying tropes that have thankfully come out in the wash after years of honing in on what Precure as a franchise would feel like. It also takes a pretty sharp nosedive in narrative quality after episode 26, cycling in a new batch of villains that are infinitely less interesting than the first and adding another, infinitely more annoying mascot character that might legitimately be one of my least favorite characters in all of anime, and the last 6-8 episodes are filled with full conversations built entirely out of stock phrases that you’ve seen a thousand times before (you can’t defeat the power of darkness, we’ve got to keep trying, etc.) with not a hint of variety to give them a unique flavor. I am grateful that it exists so that other works could follow in its footsteps and evolve into more enjoyable shows, but as an anime to sit down and watch on its own, I don’t see much value in taking the time to sit through this one unless you’re that curious about how it all began.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 16, 2026
Shiboyugi: Cloudy Beach follows up the emotional turmoil and dread of season 1 with, unsurprisingly, more emotional turmoil and dread, but of a slightly different variety. As Yuuki continues on the path towards 99 games, the weight of the lives lost in front of her turns into monotonous noise, eventually sending her spiraling into a spate of dissociative episodes and confused paranoia, and Ueno’s directorial talent is utilized to its full effect in these moments to convey the hazy, oppressive, and disorienting feelings that cloud Yuuki’s mind. Admittedly, the first half of this 90-minute film is a bit lopsided in terms of pacing, with the
...
emphasis on such a heady and internal conflict certainly not doing it any favors, but not so much that it completely derails the experience overall.
The same slight downgrade can be found in its visual presentation. There’s rarely anything outright bad about how it looks, save for a few moments of shoddy character blocking, but aside from those scenes of disassociation, the first hour isn’t exacting bursting at the seams with impressive art direction or eye-catching cinematography like season 1 was, though I would also say the climax more than makes up for this, as does the outburst of raw emotional upheaval due to certainly similarities between Yuuki and another contestant. Admittedly, this is a film that demands a lot from its viewers, and while I can easily see people being put off by the way it goes about this, it’s also a method I respect tremendously. With the post-game conversation digging even deeper into the deep-seeded traumas of several of the story’s characters, this series continues to scratch at my heart with talons of societal misery and dread like very few other anime have ever managed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Aug 16, 2026
One Piece: Heroines gives us an intriguing detour from the usual loud and rowdy adventures of the Straw Hats for something a bit more subdued, but still quite thrilling in its own way. Nami’s story was easily the strongest from the several that could have been pulled from the novels, so focusing solely on it and also expanding Robin’s role allows the “girl power” vibes of this particular story to shine through. That said, this isn’t really Nami’s story, per se, but rather Miucha’s, with her dreams of crafting the shoes she personally wants to make put at odds with her boss’s desire for extravagance
...
and fame, and her interactions with Nami’s stubborn and borderline selfish attitude that belies her intense drive to help those that she sees kinship in form the emotional core of this story.
The art direction, however, is a bit more of a contentious point. The sleeker designs and thinner linework give this entry a unique aesthetic, but occasionally are put at odds with some of the more exaggerated animation cuts. The phrase “over-animated” might strike one as a “my steak too juicy” type of complaint, but when hyper-fluidity and sakuga are given preference over strong control and direction, it can end up looking a bit goofy, though this isn’t a major constant in this episode, with the heavier emphasis on character acting allowing for more nuance in the emotions being exhibited to shine through. While the overall execution could have been more tightly controlled, it’s still a fun little adventure highlighting one of my favorite aspects of the Straw Hats that rarely gets center stage in the current arcs of the ever-expanding One Piece universe.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jul 19, 2026
Witch Hat Atelier is a magic fantasy series with an incredibly vibrant and thoroughly planned-out world to explore. The intricacies and extreme detail given to the act of casting, the ingenuity with which the characters use the pre-established rules for how magic functions to discover alternative solutions to problems, and the rich history and lore that works well as an ideological umbrella under which opposing forces can clash make for an exceptionally fascinating world to explore. The incredible visual detail that brings this world to life also deserves significant praise. Whether it’s the detailed character designs, lush and gorgeous color direction, or strong action set
...
pieces, this is an immensely beautiful series to look at, especially in its extremes of lighting and color choices.
All that said, perhaps the reason the magic system is able to be so fleshed out is because its core cast of characters, while not simplistic in any way, do tend to follow the pre-established tropes of this genre with very little variation, leading to the narrative being somewhat lacking in that department. Coco’s expression of pure wonder at the world of magic, Agott’s initial prickly demeanor, and the occasionally glimpses of darkness behind Qifrey’s soft and caring personality are all enjoyable on the whole, but were never fully able to sink their hooks into me because of how incredibly by-the-book this story is in terms of its tropes. This is only the introductory arc of a much longer story, though, and I am very curious to see how it evolves from here in regards to the conflict with the more villainous elements of witch society, as well as how it further expands upon the theme of how adults influence, raise, and control the children under their charge. It’s not quite a master work just yet, but it’s still a very enjoyable and very promising start to another fantastical adventure with magic.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
